SDCC '08 - The Return of Cloak & Dagger

Valerie D’Orazio has a storied and public history with comics; she made
it public with her “Goodbye to Comics” blog. Alas, they’ve proved
harder to say goodbye to than she thought, as she continues to write
about them on her current blog, Occasional Superheroine. Now, she’s had
such a hard time saying so long, she wound up pitching one of the most
often requested of mini-series, a story featuring Cloak and Dagger.
She’s writing the return of the duo to their own series at Marvel, and
we talked with her about the story, comics, and how just plain excited
she is.

Newsarama: Valerie, it seems that at every Marvel panel since they showed up in Runaways
the question of “Any plans for Cloak and Dagger?” has been asked. How
long have you been trying to come up with an idea that works for this
duo?
Valerie D’Orazio: The basic premise of the story and the central
theme first occurred to me about a year ago, and over the period of
five months or so developed into an idea that I felt really captured
their past, present, and future. I thought it was really key to examine
the personalities beyond the powers. I think the final version of Cloak
and Dagger that hits the stands will be very similar to the one I
initially pitched. Marvel has always been supportive of the basic
vision I had for the book, so it was just a matter of tweaking it a
bit, so that it was reflective of the current Marvel Universe.

NRAMA: You've worked as an editor in comics, but this is your
first writing gig. Is it an easy transition for you? Did your time as
an editor prepare you more for this?
VDO: Oh, without a doubt I found my editorial background to be
invaluable for this experience. It's all about learning how to write
comics from the inside-out, and by reading scripts from some of the
best writers in the business -- Dan Slott, Brad Meltzer, Darwyn Cooke.
Now, has it been an easy transition? Yes and no. There is definitely
something about finally being in the driver's seat that is both
exhilarating and and slightly intimidating.
NRAMA: Can you give us some hints on the basics of the story?
VDO: I really wouldn't want to give too much away, but basically
the story is about taking Cloak & Dagger to -- in my opinion -- the
natural next step in their long and often complicated relationship. And
the character of Tyrone was one that I especially wanted to develop --
to bring him out of his shell. I think he has earned the right for us
to get to know him better, and for him to get to know himself better.
NRAMA: You've been a vocal proponent of women working in comics,
now here you are, and your art team is female as well. How did you get
set up with these artists? What are each going to be doing art-wise for
the book?
VDO: I was having a lunch with a peer one day, and I ran my
basic idea for Cloak & Dagger by him for an opinion. He said, I
know the perfect artist for this book. And he sent me Irene's samples
and I was blown away. It never occurred to me to have manga-styled art
for this book. But when I saw the amazing sketches she made of Cloak
and Dagger -- it just organically worked. It wasn't about what style
was popular. It was just the fact that the art matched exactly what I
was trying to say in my story. And then I saw Emily's color samples and
pictured that over Irene's art -- and I knew this was going to be a
visually stunning book.
NRAMA: The last major appearance of the two characters together was in Runaways, although Cloak has appeared a few times in recent major events. Will this be stemming from those appearances?
VDO: I've certainly taken those appearances -- as well as much of their previous comics (Marvel Knights, New Warriors,
etc) -- in consideration. I hunted down a lot of Cloak and Dagger back
issues and guest appearances in preparation for this miniseries. That
said, I'm sort of taking the duo off in a new direction -- but not so
off the path that they wouldn't be able to interact with a team like
The Runaways in the future.
NRAMA: Of course, you posted the little tease that you were
doing the "Women in Marvel" panel on your blog back on July 11th. How
hard has it been for you to contain your excitement and keep a lid on
this?
VDO: Excruciating! I've got a big mouth sometimes, you know? So
I'm posting on comics 5-6 days a week, and I'm constantly biting my
tongue. But the other side of it is, I work in PR now and I've been an
editor in the past. So I know how important it is to time these
announcements. But -- still was hard!
NRAMA: How has your experience been working with Marvel so far? Are you having enough fun to stick around, maybe pitch something else?
VDO: Working with Marvel has just been such a great experience
for me. They have been very supportive of my vision and of what unique
elements I have to bring to the table. I never felt steered in a
certain direction, or dictated to. I felt like they wanted me to have
fun with this book. And even in those moments when I sort of rewrote
myself to make Cloak & Dagger more of a book that I thought
was "expected" of me -- my editors were perceptive enough to say --
"That's not you. Be yourself." And so it feels liberating. And yeah, if
there was another project that would be a good fit for the both of us,
I would love to stick around.
NRAMA: Aside from the aforementioned constant fan questions at
conventions- why Cloak and Dagger? What appeals to you that made you
say "THIS is the story I want to write for Marvel Comics" above and
beyond any other?
VDO: Cloak and Dagger -- Tyrone and Tandy -- have had this very
long, complex relationship that hasn't really had a satisfying
resolution. And it's a very codependent relationship. To me, after
reading all the C&D material, I felt that this situation was fairly
begging to be addressed -- as if their characters and their romance
were caught in stasis. Sometimes relationships get stale, and you need
to shake them up a bit in order for everybody to get to the next level.
So there are some very basic and raw human emotions caught up in there,
and it excited me to get a chance to explore that territory.
NRAMA: Anything else you'd like to put out there? Any other teases?
VDO: "The brighter the light, the darker the shadow." Or, "Two's company, and three's a crowd." Take your pick.
For a video interiew with the writer, click on this link and check out ALL our SDCC '08 floor interviews while you're there...